Sussex-based company builds three gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017, taking place from 23 to 27 May, is a showcase for all things horticultural, from stunning displays of new and unusual plants in the Great Pavilion to exciting and accomplished garden design, demonstrated in the show gardens surrounding the Pavilion.

These gardens will display exceptional creativity, vision and skill from the designers; each one requires a generous sponsor and the highest quality suppliers. To become a reality they require the collaboration of an equally important party, the show garden contractor. To be considered to build a show garden at Chelsea means having the experience, resources and skills available to gain the trust of the RHS, since an important aspect of any designer’s application is their choice of contractor.

This year The Outdoor Room is in the enviable position of having been confirmed as contractor of not one but three gardens at the 2017 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Founded in 1995 by owner David Dodd, the Sussex-based company has to date built 20 RHS medal-winning show gardens and this year is building one of its own gardens for Hartley Botanic, designed by its sister company Longview Design.

This year sees The Outdoor Room building for Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam, who have a main avenue garden sponsored by Darwin Property Investment Management Ltd. The garden highlights Wellington College’s ambition to break down barriers to education, and explores the themes of progress, evolution and thought patterns.

The garden’s planting draws inspiration from heathland around the College. Tall, sculptural and transparent walls run through the garden connecting the various elements and materials. Water echoes this flow in the main pool and rills running below the wall structures.

The Outdoor Room has also been confirmed as contractor for The Breast Cancer Now Garden, designed by Ruth Willmott. The garden is a space for a small team of research scientists to meet and discuss ideas. The garden draws inspiration from the work of breast cancer researchers working in the lab, in particular looking through microscopes in their goal to stop breast cancer taking more lives.

The garden is laid out with three vertical circles as microscope lenses, which are aligned to focus on a black microscope slide at the back of the garden and a circle of magnified healthy cells. At the back of the garden scientists can sit on organic cellular shaped seats and the back wall provides a surface to draw and share ideas. The planting scheme and circular cell shapes illustrate the idea of magnification. Planting at the front of the garden has smaller and medium foliage with larger foliage at the back. The black wall and white metal circles blend with magenta pinks, coppery tones and white planting accents to create a modern composition.

The third garden being executed by the Sussex-based teams from The Outdoor Room is a 200m2 stand, designed by Longview Design for the glasshouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic. The concept for this is based on demonstrating the great versatility of glasshouses and their ability to appeal to all the senses: Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste and…intuition.

Each of the four buildings will feature a particular theme or use: Tropical for the plant collectors, one dedicated to the display of orchids for the enthusiast, productive growing of vegetables, and one designed as part summerhouse, part productive house with herbs and vegetables. Glasshouses are a magical escape, capable of transporting you to another, more exotic place.